The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1887-11-15
A Lock of Hair.

By an FIX Rebel
When the federals got possession OF the
Shenandoah valley and repaired the railroad track
and ran their trains, detachments of PREDATORY
bands made it O business to lie in ambush ana hre
into the coaches. A good deal of this work was
done for a time by men belonging TO Imboden and
Mosby's commands and finally, to protect them
selves the fe1erals used to take along number o.
southern citizens. Some would be compelled 10
ride on the engine, and the others would be dis
tributed through the cars thus making the chances
even that if volley was fred some OF our own peo
pIe would be killed. This stopped the practice Of
ambushing trains, but not untl the writer had had
Il very close call from death.
was scouting around Winchester. and had Just
left farm house where had remained all night
when squadron of federal cavalry struck my trail.
Twas houndedsand logged until midafterro2n be-
fore got clear away from them, ana during tins
time was put to such physical exertlons that
was seized with chill about o'clock in the at
ternoon and soon became too i'll to travel l was
then in the woods, and there remained until next
div at noon, apart of the time out of my head.
finally cot better and partly by walking and partly
by crawling reached a farm house a mile away.
The farmer was a southern man, too old to so into
the service, and would have been received with
all kindness but for the federals had scarcely en-
tered the house when a detachment of them rode
up 10 the gate and ten minutes later was being
carried off as prisoner.
The OulN good feature uDOuI II WAS TINT was
taken for rebel deserter instead of q spy, ana my
treatment was, therefore, far better. In three or
four DAVIS was all right again. and then I was or
dered aboard one OF the trains and given half the
engineers scat. Indeed, was chained there, and
when the officer who had the matter in hand left
me he was kind enough TO say:
There, now, if your cursed rebel friends can fire
into this side of the cab without hitting you let them
pop away"
and knew that he had been engaged in the work
Of firing upon trains L somehow felt that we
should be fired upon, and that should see Frank
that day and both events quickly came TO pass. We
were not fifteen miles out of Winchester, and were
lust pulling out of heavy cut into piece of
woods when l caught sight of the head and face of
q man above log We were running not over
fifteen miles an hour and l was looking into the
woods The man in ambush was still ahead of us
when saw him, and we were not ten feet nearer
when I recognized the face as Franks. In the
same instant l saw that he had cavalry carbine
resting across the log and that there were four or
five other men beyond him. They were there to
fire a yoley into the train, and we on the engine
would get it first. had only seconds in which to
act The first thing was to shout to the engineer
and fireman to drop to the floor, and the next to
wheel squarcly around and shout to Frank:
For Gods sake, don't sholtl Its Ed-hold onn'
Franks gun was pointed fun at my face as I
shouted, and we looked right into each others
ewes In that brief instant saw borrow come to
his eyes his face grew white snow, and he could
not move his lips. His finger was pulling the trg-
ger, and it was too late sheet of fame leaped up
at me. something burned the side ofmy cheek, and
then we had passed on. There WaS but the one
shot The other men had heard my warning
in lime 10 hold their fire. For about a minute
| could not tell whether was badly hurt or had
osoaned scott free But by and by discovered that
had bullet blister across my right cheek and had
lost lock of hair big enough to divide among half
a dozen sweethearts.
NV action in warning the engineer and fireman
was laid up to my credit but for the next four weeks
had to keep my scat on the locomotive It was
bc last time any train WAS fred on, however and If
Tdid the federals all the damage could before and
after they had TO thank me for clearing railroad
line Of a dangerous enemy.